The player controls Dora the Explorer, followed by Boots. In gameplay, players collect gems, so Isa's rocket ship can fly to where gems are hidden in treasure. Later in the game, gems are also hidden in logs. If players collect 10 or more gems, Isa's rocket ship will fly. Players also jump on mushrooms and springboards to jump higher.

Before players cross Turtle River, Dora and Boots have to find all four turtles. When crossing Turtle River, players have to jump on all the turtles at the right time to cross the river. Later in the game, players cannot land on the Icky Sticky Sand. Otherwise, Dora gets stuck in the sand. Players then have to get Dinky out of the sand by pressing the A Button. At Crocodile Lake, players have to swing on vines by pressing the action button to get through the lake. When the player gets to the tall mountain, players then put the gems in the rocket and are launched into space, and players have to get all the keys from all the different planets to get to the purple planet to complete the game